USC Needs To Worry About USC

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At the end of the day, USC is USC. It recruits itself. It has the best tradition of the Pac-12. Forget about whatever twitter says regarding the Chip Kelly hire.

What USC needs to do is closely examine itself: Does having three coaches call plays make sense? Is Clancy Pendergast really the best you can do at defensive coordinator? Is it merely enough to say you have the best special teams coach in America?

When it answers these questions honestly, it does not need to worry about Chip Kelly.

113 thoughts on “USC Needs To Worry About USC”

  1. 1. Many teams have more than 1 person with input on plays/calling plays.
    2. Who’s should the DC be? I hear complaints about Clancy w no suggestions as to who they should go get.
    3. Same question as # 2. I guess having a walk on kicker hit a few clutch kicks after what the blogger described as a disastrous fall kicking camp is someting anyone could do. Our biggest need is strength and the ability to hire 30 people who do nothing but evaluate and contact talent.

  2. The Trojans defense could be a lot better if they weren’t on the field so much. Clancy has been the one bright spot on the Trojans coaching staff.

    Would like to see some more players rotated in and not so much man-to-man coverage.

  3. You wanna know what I’m worried about? I just read Scott’s pre season Pac 12 predictions. He predicted USC at 10-2. He predicted UCLA at 7-5 (close). He predicted USC as Pac 12 South Champion.
    He predicted Stanford as North Champion. He predicted USC would beat Stanford in the regular season. And he predicted Stanford would win the re-match in the CG.
    #CanWeGetHimToChangeThatLastPrediction?

    • Really? So SW is a football psychic, huh, MG? Sincerely hope he’s wrong on the final prediction, though.

      #SWisAWalkingCrystalBall!

      • He totally kicked a** !
        Let’s hope that either (1) his predictive powers are limited to the regular season or (2) that he reconsiders his CG prediction this week and switches to USC.

        • In other words, you’re hoping that SW’s football psychic abilities were a little off on his postseason predictions, right, MG? Well, why not? Even Nostradamus couldn’t make any predictions on football. LOL!

          #ISometimesFeelI’mPsychicToo

          • Have been wondering about him. Grades? Transfer? He hasn’t been practicing and seems no one says why. Not on any injury rot??

          • Here’s one for you. Sam comes back. He’s with the same staff. How much do you think he improves from this season?

          • Hard to say. Truthfully, I’ve thought about this and wondered why things have gone the way they have for him this year.
            Many patterns they run are read routes and the receivers and he weren’t on the same page?
            In his first year, the playbook was restricted and was opened up during the off-season. Did it cause him to overthink?
            Did the lack of consistency in the running game allow teams to go after him more often or did the lack of consistency in the passing game allow the defense to stack the box? Hmm.
            Or is it just coaching that holds him back? Will he go on the camp tour most of the summer again?
            Was he hurt and somewhat limited? Well to me he looked much quicker the last two weeks.

            Can they improve his play? Really don’t know.

            It all depends on his comfort level. He looks much more comfortable lately than before although the results haven’t necessarily shown it.

          • When they started talking about how they changed his delivery I kind of thought why fix something if it isn’t broke. It seemed to me that he struggled with it and it detracted from his normal instincts to throw no matter where his balance was. He is strong enough to get away with it especially with his quick release. Now he seems more at ease and is more willing to pull it down and run with it, which is great for a guy his size and speed.

          • There were stories written this summer about he and his personal coach. Not the team coaches. They worked on getting air under his long ball. Throwing the ball higher so as to let the receivers run under the ball. Darnold himself said in the article that it wasn’t his motion he was working on.
            If I remember correctly this article was in the OC register this summer. Both he and the coaches have said no changes were made to his delivery at school.

            He does look more comfortable the last couple of games. And he looks quicker too. Or is it just me.

          • i think he looks quicker because when he decides to run now, that is his focus, but hell, who knows for sure.

        • Ya, I’m sure USC will never win another football NC. Sure pal. Lay off the sauce.

          Poor Chow vegetates in his basement after failing at every single turn since USC while The Kiffer stopped to help Saban and has now retaken the college football world by storm at FAU. USC is done with sanctions and back at the top of the P12 as usual.

          Life is good. Beat STAN!

          • Lol … storm no one knows what crap school Kiffin is at or what crap conference it is
            Saban tossed that ahole out like the Raiders and SC did
            Saban greater than Pete , he actually won a nc with Goat calling his crap plays

    • Not earth-shattering really.

      Everyone in the free world picked USC to win the south and I don’t know any who thought we would be undefeated. USC was favored by all at home against the Cardinal too.

      STAN and UW were expected to rule the north. SW looked at the schedule and saw UW in Palo Alto after both ucla and ORE at home. STAN plays really tough at home. But still, good call by SW to pick STAN over UW.

      As far as rematch goes, it’s in the Football Holy Grail that thou shall not beat the same team twice in one year. So picking STAN in basically a home game on Friday is pretty logical.

      The USC brand and Darnold have us favored by 3 in Vegas and it works for me. I think the public, even the media, are expecting USC to come out just once and blow the cork off it all. Isn’t that always our fate? Sooner or later the team with the MOST NFL HOFamers and first round picks is always expected to pump it up.

      And while Rosen embarrassed JJ badly, I think he’ll rebound strong against STAN and play much better against newby Costello. Darnold might be leaving and if he is, he’ll be playing with his hair on fire. Even if he’s not leaving, I sense he’s gonna have a killer game. We’re pretty healthy. We’re rested. Helton has to win this or he’s relegated to the sh**it bin.

      STAN will be very tough, but the Trojans have the mojo now and win a tight one – something we have been good at all year. And while ND knocked our lights out, they also woke up our coaches.

      I’ll never know why we were so sloppy and lame against ucla. I just hope the team has received so much heat for that, that we’ve got our heads right for STAN because sloppy won’t win the P12 championship.

      • Yeah. That’s pretty much exactly the way I got it figured myself, Jack. I do expect a way different showing from Jones. I think he can stay with anybody Stanford can throw at him. And I see Sam playing smart, efficient football for a change. Throw in Rojo and Carr & that ought to do it.

    • Rule #1: WOLF is always right.
      Rule #2: If you dummies think otherwise, go back to rule #1

      #getreadytoloseatthehungrychickenbowl

      • Scott says we go to a top bowl, Ted.
        Rule # 1:Scott is always right.
        Rule #2: If you think otherwise, go back to Rule #1.

  4. This is true. SC will always attract and get talent because of its sexy brand and its location. So it means it’s actually an excellent test lab for the quality of coaching because all it needs is good coaching by a good coaching staff to catapult it to a national elite. And quite predictably, history of the team proves it.

    • USC having top notch players hasn’t been the problem, its been the recent coaching hires. Pat Haden hired coaches he could control instead of coaches who were qualified and who would take the program back to elite status as far ad being legit national championship title contenders.

    • The more quality coaches the PAC 12 Schools hire, the less automatic it will be for USC, to land 4 and 5 star recruits .

      • Fred, it’s looking like the whole Pac-12’s dynamics will be overhauled in the next few years with Kelly and Sumlin. And unless SC makes major adjustments, the team has a real chance to be a bottom dweller before we know it.

      • Chip will stock pile talent like Donahue did 1981-88 … those teams were stacked
        Only he will do a better job
        SC better have a good plan

        • Mora did a decent job of recruiting for ucla. Hard to say if Chip will have an immediate impact or will players wait to see what he is selling. The market could get a little thinner but that brings up the conference which is good.

          • Bringing up the conference is good only if SC also brings up the level. The current level of coaching won’t be enough starting next year even in the Pac-12.

  5. Even if USC defeats Stanford this Friday, expect Lynn Swann to demand that Helton make some changes in the coaching staff. The fact that you have three coaches calling plays is a travesty in itself. No wonder USC has a hard time displaying any offensive continuity on a consistent basis. The other two areas of major concern are the defensive backs and offensive line coaches. These two groups have been underwhelming to say the least.

    • I have heard Neuheisel, Spurrier, butch Davis, Houston Nutt, & a few others say that a good AD observes practice and knows when coaches are engaged and effective. And those AD’s are the most successful. We all know that Swann knows football & has been around successful coaches. My question is this—how much does he see day to day? If he is an active AD, I have confidence he will make good decisions.

    • Not sure all three are calling plays. It may be one calls plays, the others send in players for that formation or specific play to make sure it is manned best. One guy doing run plays, the other doing pass plays. Not sure but it helps to have the right players on the field in certain situations.

    • if Tee leaves (lol), Tyson becomes OC. Who would Clay get to replace Clancy’s 79th ranked defense this year? He should have gone after top coaches when he was hired. No one good will want to hop on the sinking ship without a 2 year $1m/year deal. Will swann want to do this?

    • There are no decent assistants that will work for Gomer … wanna good staff bring in a real coach
      Look at Chips staff

  6. I hate having to agree with Wolf. I have expressed my opinion enough about Kelly and will go back to not thinking about ucla again. USC has its hands full, Stanford may be beaten up and tired, but they will bring their A game Friday. USC cannot get manhandled, they simply have to execute on both sides, play calling needs to be based on what Stanford gives them, and the defense will simply have to play lights out, stop the run and protect the corners. Luckily the Stanford receivers are not that fast, just big and hard to bring down. Sam should play with confidence and run it when open, giving the defense more to worry about.
    To me it all boils down to which USC team will show up and if the inspired passionate one does that they play 4 quarters.

    • Beating anyone in the conference twice in the same year is tough but Darnold refuses to lose. Need Porter Gustin to set the tone on D

    • stanford does more with less because they are well coached and disciplined. They run an offensive scheme which they do not deviate from. What is USC’s offensive scheme? Are we disciplined? Obviously we aren’t well coached based upon all the calls for changing the staff.

    • I agree. The reality is that USC has really shown up once this year vs. Stanford in September. I just hope they remember what that felt like.

  7. Just shoot me. I hate saying this, but Scooter for once in your profession life you wrote something that is intelligent and makes sense.

    Try that again tomorrow Scooter and you just might get a cookie.

    • So ….are you interested in the answers USC is gonna give to Scott’s questions?
      (1) Yes, having 3 play callers makes sense.
      (2) Yes, Pendergast is the best we can do.
      (3) Yes, it is merely enough to say we have the best Special Teams coach in America.

      • In Hadens day I can see that. It will be interesting to see just how Swann handles things. I think Pendy’s contract is up anyway.

      • Only one oc
        change the d cord, o cord, oline, and db coach.
        He has improved by his players performance. It started off shakey though.

  8. Scooter, something for u to look into, or ur homework: has SC started to talk to assistant coaches to replace the oc, o line, and dB coach? Has Swann started negotiations and when will they announce the new assistants.

  9. UCLA moving into the new Rams Stadium would be a bigger threat to USC than Chip Kelly

  10. If the problem is coaching, as Scott suggests, there’s a resurgent and dynamic young coaching stud at FAU that ‘SC might want to (re)hire. What better way to upstage the Chipster?

  11. First decision of the off-season needs to be letting Tee Martin go.

    Enough with his soft, bubble screen offense that struggled to run against the worst run D in America against the Bruins.

  13. Can USC get a better DC? Isn’t Pendergasts contract up after this season? Wasn’t it a two year deal or did they extend it.

  14. I often cross swords with SW, but not here. He is spot on. All fronts too. I especially agree about Clancy. The leaky secondary is a huge concern. And his inability to rotate players in an issue too.

  15. With basketball season getting going we can all look forward to Wolf’s post about Reggie Miller for a few months.

  18. For what its worth, CCH and Martin may be gone after the season anyway, look for Tennesee to come calling now that Schiano isnt the new HC and they depart as a team…

  19. I pray to the man up above that you go on the Colin Cowherd show one day to debate.

    That’s all I’m gonna say.

  20. If we keep the same coaching staff and lose 4 undergrads to the NFL it will be a long year no matter who is coaching ucla and asu.

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